After his rocky collaboration with Stephen Sondheim on Do I Hear a Waltz?, Richard Rodgers chose to write both music and lyrics for his next project, Androcles and the Lion. In his memoir, Rodgers wrote, “I simply went back to my No Strings collaborator – me – and we got along just fine.” With a book by Peter Stone, based … Read More
1967 Soundtrack
Released in mono by RCA Victor in 1967, the original soundtrack recording of Androcles and the Lion featured ebullient orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance arrangements by David Baker. The lead vocals were sung by Norman Wisdom, Noël Coward, Ed Ames, Brian Bedford, John Cullum and Inga Swenson. The 13-track LP featured all eight songs from the special, along … Read More
1967 Television Broadcast
Presented as a 90-minute television special, Androcles and the Lion premiered on NBC-TV on November 15, 1967. Starring Norman Wisdom as Androcles, with Geoffrey Holder as the Lion, Noël Coward as Caesar and Patricia Routledge as Megaera, the production also featured such theatre notables as Ed Ames, Brian Bedford, John Cullum and Inga Swenson. Of his score, Richard Rodgers said, … Read More